ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Government initiatives to incentivise investment by private sector in the field of renewable energy
The Government has taken following measures to incentivise investment by private sector in the field of renewable energy including solar energy in the country:
- Permitting Foreign Direct Investment  up to 100 percent under the automatic route,
- Waiver of Inter State Transmission System  charges for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by 30th June 2025,
- Declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation  up to the year 2029-30,
- Setting up of Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks to provide land and transmission to RE developers for installation of RE projects at large scale,
- Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan , Solar Rooftop Phase II, 12000 MW CPSU Scheme Phase II, etc,
- Laying of new transmission lines and creating new sub-station capacity under the Green Energy Corridor Scheme for evacuation of renewable power,
- Notification of standards for deployment of solar photovoltaic system/devices,
- Setting up of Project Development Cell for attracting and facilitating investments,
- Standard Bidding Guidelines for tariff based competitive bidding process for procurement of Power from Grid Connected Solar PV and Wind Projects.
- Government has issued orders that power shall be dispatched against Letter of Credit  or advance payment to ensure timely payment by distribution licensees to RE generators.
- Notification of Promoting Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022.
- Notification of “The electricity  Rules .
- Launch of Green Term Ahead Market  to facilitate sale of Renewable Energy Power through exchanges.
- National Green Hydrogen Mission approved with an aim to make India a Global Hub for production, utilization and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
With a normative cost of Rs. 4 Crore per MW for solar installation, it is estimated that an investment of around Rs. 2, 53,210 Crore has been made on installation of 63302.47 MW capacity solar projects in the country.
Since the tariff of electricity generated from solar energy has come down to as low as Rs. 1.99 per kWh, much lower than new thermal or hydro based power generation systems, solar power projects are commercially viable.
This information was given by Shri R.K Singh, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy in a written reply in Lok Sabha yesterday.
Election Commission
ECI Condoles Passing Away of Former CEC Shri T.N. Seshan
Sh Seshan will Remain an Icon for the Nation Forever: CEC Sh Sunil Arora
The Election Commission of India deeply mourns the passing away of former Chief Election Commissioner Shri T.N. Seshan at Chennai late last night. A condolence meeting to pay respect to Shri Seshan was held at 1115hrs in Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi today. Dy. Election Commissioner Shri Sudeep Jain is reaching Chennai on behalf of the Commission to pay last respects to former CEC.
Following is the Condolence Message by the Commission on the demise of Shri T N Seshan.
Condolence Message
 Shri T.N. Seshan, 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India
The Election Commission of India deeply mourns the demise of its 10th Chief Election Commissioner Shri Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan. Shri T.N. Seshan, a brilliant officer of 1955 batch of Indian Administrative Service’s Tamil Nadu cadre was CEC between 12 December 1990 and 11 December, 1996. Earlier, he had been the Cabinet Secretary.
He set a high benchmark for the office and became a legend in his lifetime and will always be a source of inspiration to us and all CECs and ECs to come.
Shri Seshan redefined the very grammar of the electoral process. Holding the constitutional post of CEC, he enhanced the stature of the office by coming heavily on electoral malpractices and dealing sternly even ruthlessly with violence and muscle power which were at all time high when he took over.
He redeemed the autonomy and authority that the Constitution has bestowed upon ECI under Art. 324 of the Constitution. Refusing to act as merely as manager of monitoring of electoral process, he started proactively purging the elections of their evils like money, liquor, muscle power, booth capturing etc. From a career bureaucrat he repositioned himself as ‘Chief Election Commissioner of India’ who reminded people of the power of vote.
Shri Seshan was the right man, in the right place, at the right time. He became a symbol of a crusade against electoral corruption. He created an environment and consciousness whereby citizens felt that they were the main stakeholders in the elections.
Though for the last 22-years of his life, he led a retired life in Chennai, he had become a living legend for the people at large. He continues to captivate the imagination of young voters, as much as the elderly. He was endowed with excellent cultural values that made him weather many a storm.
He will remain an icon for the Election Commission and the nation forever. Mr. Seshan has left behind a rich legacy for the Commission and will continue to inspire us at the Election Commission of India.
We pray for the noble departed soul and convey our profound condolences.
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Sushil Chandra
Election Commissioner
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Sunil Arora
Chief Election Commissioner
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Ashok Lavasa
ElectionCommissioner
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SBS/MR/AC
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Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India amends the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India  Regulations, 2016
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India  notified the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India   Regulations, 2016 on 14th July, 2021.
The amendment regulations enhance the discipline, transparency, and accountability in corporate insolvency proceedings:
- A corporate debtor  may have changed its name or registered office address prior to commencement of insolvency. The stakeholders may find it difficult to relate to the new name or registered office address and consequently fail to participate in the CIRP. The amendment requires an insolvency professional  conducting CIRP to disclose all former names and registered office address so changed in the two years preceding the commencement of insolvency along with the current name and registered office address of the CD, in all its communications and records.
- The interim resolution professional  or resolution professional  may appoint any professional, including registered valuers, to assist him in discharge of his duties in conduct of the CIRP. The amendment provides that the IRP/RP may appoint a professional, other than registered valuers, if he is of the opinion that the services of such professional are required and such services are not available with the CD. Such appointments shall be made on an arm’s length basis following an objective and transparent process. The invoice for fee shall be raised in the name of the professional and be paid into his bank account.
- The RP is duty bound to find out if a CD has been subject to avoidance transactions, namely, preferential transactions, undervalued transactions, extortionate credit transactions, fraudulent trading and wrongful trading, and file applications with the Adjudicating Authority seeking appropriate relief. This not only claws back the value lost in such transactions increasing the possibility of reorganisation of the CD through a resolution plan, but also disincentivises such transactions preventing stress to the CD. For effective monitoring, the amendment requires the RP to file Form CIRP 8 on the electronic platform of the Board, intimating details of his opinion and determination in respect of avoidance transactions. The IBBI has specified the format of CIRP 8 through a Circular issued yesterday. This Form needs to be filed in respect of every CIRP ongoing or commencing on or after 14th July, 2021.
The amended regulations are effective from 14th July, 2021. These are available at www.mca.gov.in and www.ibbi.gov.in.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles demise of noted Kathakali dancer Ms. Milena Salvini
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of noted Kathakali dancer Ms. Milena Salvini.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Ms. Milena Salvini will be remembered for her passion towards Indian culture. She made numerous efforts to further popularise Kathakali across France. I am anguished by her passing away. My thoughts are with her family and well-wishers. May her soul rest in peace."
Ministry of Textiles
Government exempts all customs duty on Cotton imports till 30th September 2022
The Government has decided to exempt all customs duty on import of cotton to lower the price of cotton in the public interest. This exemption would benefit the textile chain- yarn, fabric, garments and made ups and provide relief to textile industry and consumers.
Industry has been demanding for removal of 5% Basic Customs Duty  and 5% Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess  on raw cotton.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs  notified the exemption from Customs duty and Agriculture Infrastructure development Cess for import of cotton.
This notification shall come into effect from 14th April 2022 and will remain in force upto and inclusive of the 30th September 2022.
Removal of import duty on raw cotton should have salutary effect on cotton price in India.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Celebration time for Cinephiles as registration begins for 54th IFFI
Panaji | 13 September 2023
The countdown to the biggest film and entertainment celebration in the country has begun, with the opening of delegate registrations for the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India . The festival is scheduled to take place in Goa from November 20 to 28, 2023. This annual film festival brings the biggest stalwarts of cinema, from across India and the world under one roof, while also providing a platform to young talent to showcase their craft to an international audience, thus celebrating the cohesive energy and spirit of art, films, and culture.
Organized by the National Film Development Corporation of India Ltd. , Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, in collaboration with the State Government of Goa through the Entertainment Society of Goa , and the Indian Film Industry, the best of Indian and World Cinema will be showcased at the event
IFFI boasts a diverse selection of Indian and world cinema in various sections. The International Competition , Competition for ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal Award, Competition for Best Debut Feature Film of a Director, Cinema of the World , Indian Panorama , Festival Kaleidoscope , are some of the sections that showcase Indian and world cinema. Special curated packages of Indian and foreign films, such as Country Focus, Animation, Documentaries, and Goan Films, are also featured. Gala Premieres, daily red carpet events, and celebrations enhance the festival experience.
In addition to screenings, IFFI offers workshops, masterclasses, interactive sessions, and panel discussions conducted by over 200 eminent figures from the national and international film fraternity.
Delegate registration for the 54th IFFI can be done through iffigoa.org for the following categories:
Delegate Cinenthusiast: Rs. 1000/- + GST
Delegate Professional: Rs. 1000/- + GST
Delegate Student: no registration fee
Running alongside the 54th IFFI, the 17th edition of Film Bazaar, organized by NFDC, has also commenced registration. Film Bazaar serves as South Asia's largest global film market, facilitating creative and financial collaborations among South Asian and international filmmakers, producers, sales agents, and festival programmers. Delegate registration for Film Bazaar is available at filmbazaarindia.com.
Media registration for the 54th IFFI will open shortly, providing journalists and media professionals access to this cinematic event.
Source : NFDC
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Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Indian Agricultural Research Institute shines as acme of excellence in Agriculture Sciences under NIRF 2023
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, popularly known as the Pusa Institute and the harbinger of Green Revolution, scales to the pinnacle of the crest of the ranking by the National Institutional Ranking Framework  for the year 2023 under the category of Agriculture and Allied sectors. The eighth edition of National Institutional Ranking Framework  was announced by Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Government of India on June 5, 2023. NIRF released the ranking of around 8,686 Higher Education Institutes  which participated in the ranking exercise. Earlier there were four categories and seven subject domains. Agriculture and allied sector has been added as a subject domain for the first time.
IARI continues its commitment for excellence in agricultural research, education and extension. The institute has already embarked upon the path to evolve as a global university. It has started undergraduate programmes in 4 disciplines of agriculture, community science, B. Tech  and B. Tech . Aligning with New Education Policy 2020; plans afoot to initiate several diploma and certificate courses to lay emphasis upon vocational education.
Besides the hard work and brilliance of the faculty of IARI; the planning and guidance of the Director and the Vice -Chancellor of the of the institute, Dr Ashok Kumar Singh; and the dedicated efforts of the Dean & Joint Director, Education, Dr Anupma Singh and Assoc Dean Dr Atul Kumar have gone a long way in securing the first position. The institute sincerely acknowledges the motivation, support and guidance of the honourable Secretary DARE and DG ICAR, Dr Himanshu Pathak as well as the DDG , Dr RC Agrawal and DDG , Dr. T.R. Sharma.
Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Government of India confers the award to IARI
Ministry of Power
NHPC contributes Rs. 1 Crore to Chief Minister Relief Fund , Himachal Pradesh
Shri A.K. Singh, CMD, NHPC handed over payment intimation advice of Rupees One Crore to Shri Jai Ram Thakur, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh as NHPC’s contribution towards Chief Minister Relief Fund  on 23.01.22 at Shimla . This fund is used when natural calamities or tragedy strike the State & is provided to affected residents for immediate relief to minimize the grief & loss of the people. It is also utilized for humanitarian purposes in adverse circumstances.
The Chief Minister asked CMD, NHPC to expedite works related to 500 MW Dugar Hydroelectric Project  & assured his support to NHPC in various clearances towards the early implementation of the Project. The Chief Minister also asked NHPC to take up Pumped Storage Projects in the state. During the meeting, Shri Ram Subhag Singh, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh was also present.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
MOU to be signed tomorrow for Indore- Manmad new railway line project
The Project Will be Implemented Through Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited on Joint Venture SPV Model
An MoU will be signed tomorrow between JNPT- Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Railways, Govt of Maharashtra and Govt of Madhya Pradesh for implementation of 362 km Indore- Manmad New Railway Line Project. The project will reduce the distance from Mumbai/Pune to key central India locations by 171 kilometers.
The project passes through the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor nodes Igatpuri, Nashik and Sinnar; Pune and Khed; and Dhule and Nardana.
The project is estimated to result in cumulative net economic benefits of Rs 15,000 crore in the first ten years of operations. Its Logistics advantages include providing a shorter route for passenger as well as the freight traffic originating from / terminating or crossing through the region. The project will reduce the logistics cost for the cargo centres located in Northern India such as Lucknow, Agra, Gwalior and Kanpur belt as well as Indore – Dhule – Bhopal region to the gateway ports JNPT and Mumbai. It will be an alternate route to the existing central and western railway lines and will reduce congestion on the over utilized existing railway network. In addition, it will help in employment generation, reduction in pollution, fuel consumption and vehicle operating costs.
The Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited  carried out the feasibility, traffic and bankability for the project. Railway Board approved the implementation of the project through IPRCL on Joint Venture SPV model. The proposed SPV would be in the form of a Joint Venture Company between Ministry of Shipping or its nominated PSUs/Entity including JNPT , Government of Maharashtra or its nominated PSUs/Entity, Government of Madhya Pradesh or its nominated PSUs/Entity, and others. The equity participation would be in the ratio as under:
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Project Stakeholders
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Equity Share
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MoS or its nominated PSUs/Entity including JNPT, which will be the main promoter.
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55%
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GoM or its nominated PSUs/Entity
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15%
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GoMP or its nominated PSUs/Entity
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15%
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Others 
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15%
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Ministry of Railway: The SPV will enter into concession agreement with the MoR Ministry of Railways  will pay Historical cost of land post concession to the SPV
The Cost and Financial indicators of the project are as under;
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Financial indicators
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Figures
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Total Project Cost
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Rs.8574.79 Crores
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Pre-tax Project IRR
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13.70%
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Post Tax Project Financial IRR
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11.44%
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Equity IRR
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15.90%
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Economic IRR
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14.57%
The project will be constructed within six years.
Ministry of Education
Research will make India a world leader - Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'
Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' chaired the meeting of Secretaries of Higher and Technical Education of States & Union Territories to discuss the draft New Education Policy  here today.
Speaking on the Occasion the Minister said that the research is the foundation for the development of any country and India will again become a world leader by giving boost to research in the country. Shri Nishank said that states have a very important role in the new education policy. He called upon all the states that there should be more brainstorming before framing the new education policy. He added that the education policy is for the whole country and everyone's participation in the country's policy should be ensured.
The Union Minister said that the draft National Education Policy is the result of detailed consultations with all stakeholders in the last 4 years. The aim of the National Education Policy is to bring reforms in the Indian education system so that India can play a major role in the global knowledge system. He further said that there are many provisions in this draft which will give a new direction to education sector of the country.
In the draft NEP, provisions like the restructuring of higher education, promotion of research by the National Research Foundation, promotion of Indian languages, bringing more financial resources in this area and promoting more autonomy in the higher education system have been made for the holistic development of education.
Shri Nishank said that higher education today needs to be more employable, research oriented, innovative, technology-oriented and accountable, so that the youth can get the right direction. The Minister further said that our education system also has an important responsibility to establish the country as a global power by meeting international standards.
Shri Nishank said that to improve the quality of education, there is a need to fill the vacant posts in all educational institutions immediately. He stressed that all states need to think seriously on this issue. The Minister also said that for the better future of the country, we have a responsibility to implement our strategies in a timely manner to benefit all the students in the country
Ministry of Finance
RBI organises 3rd zonal level round of All-India Quiz on financial literacy in Delhi
In order to enhance financial literacy among school students, the Reserve Bank of India  organised third zonal level round of the All-India Quiz on Financial Literacy that saw the participation of state level winners of Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, here today.
The quiz was first organised at the block level and then district and state levels in which students of class VIII, IX and X of government schools were encouraged to participate to generate more interest in the area of financial literacy and awareness.
Overall, for the states/UTs coming under the zone, approximately 10,264 students from 5,132 schools participated from the block level. The zonal level at Delhi witnessed the participation of ASOSE, Sector 10, Dwarka, Delhi, Government Higher Secondary School, Patushai, Sogam, Kupwara, J&K, Government Higher Secondary School, Sumoor, Leh, Ladakh, AUGIC, Rudrapur, Uttarakhand and Government Inter College, Fursatganj, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. Shri Aman Gupta & Shri Utkarsh Sudhakar from ASOSE, Sector 10, Dwarka, Delhi emerged as the winners and were felicitated by Shri Deepak Kumar, Executive Director, RBI, and other dignitaries present at the prize distribution ceremony. The winners will get to compete in the All-India Quiz on Financial Literacy at the National level.
Financial literacy supports the pursuit of financial inclusion by empowering the customers to make informed choices leading to their financial well-being. Financial inclusion in turn is meant to make financial services available, accessible and affordable to all in a safe and transparent manner. While pursuing policies for furthering financial inclusion, RBI has also been simultaneously taking steps to promote financial literacy and consumer protection. Towards a vision of creating a financially aware and empowered India, RBI along with other stakeholders framed the National Strategy for Financial Education  for 2020-25 focusing on building on areas of content, capacity, community, communication and collaboration. The NSFE document intends to support the vision of the Government of India and Financial Sector Regulators by enabling various sections of the population to develop knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour which are needed to manage their money better and to plan for their future.
Such initiatives have the intention of making children interested in financial literacy, which is becoming more of a life skill for participating in modern society. Children are growing up in an increasingly complex world and a financial world where technological changes also occur at a fast pace, which will require children to take charge of their own financial future as they move to adulthood and navigate jobs and livelihood opportunities.